Enrollment in educational institutions, by level and control of institution: Selected years, 1869-70 through fall 2016

[In thousands]

Year

Total enrollment, all levels

Elementary and secon-dary, total

Public elementary and secondary schools

Private elementary and secondary schools1

Postsecondary degree-granting institutions2

Total

Prekinder-garten through grade 8

Grades 9 through 12

Total

Prekinder-garten through grade 8

Grades 9 through 12

Total

Public

Private

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

1869-70

—

—

6,872

6,792

80

—

—

—

52

—

—

1879-80

—

—

9,868

9,757

110

—

—

—

116

—

—

1889-90

14,491

14,334

12,723

12,520

203

1,611

1,516

95

157

—

—

1899-1900

17,092

16,855

15,503

14,984

519

1,352

1,241

111

238

—

—

1909-10

19,728

19,372

17,814

16,899

915

1,558

1,441

117

355

—

—

1919-20

23,876

23,278

21,578

19,378

2,200

1,699

1,486

214

598

—

—

1929-30

29,430

28,329

25,678

21,279

4,399

2,651

2,310

341

1,101

—

—

1939-40

29,539

28,045

25,434

18,832

6,601

2,611

2,153

458

1,494

797

698

1949-50

31,151

28,492

25,111

19,387

5,725

3,380

2,708

672

2,659

1,355

1,304

Fall 1959

44,497

40,857

35,182

26,911

8,271

5,675

4,640

1,035

3,640

2,181

1,459

Fall 1969

59,055

51,050

45,550

32,513

13,037

5,500

3

4,200

3

1,300

3

8,005

5,897

2,108

Fall 1970

59,838

51,257

45,894

32,558

13,336

5,363

4,052

1,311

8,581

6,428

2,153

Fall 1971

60,220

51,271

46,071

32,318

13,753

5,200

3

3,900

3

1,300

3

8,949

6,804

2,144

Fall 1972

59,941

50,726

45,726

31,879

13,848

5,000

3

3,700

3

1,300

3

9,215

7,071

2,144

Fall 1973

60,047

50,445

45,445

31,401

14,044

5,000

3

3,700

3

1,300

3

9,602

7,420

2,183

Fall 1974

60,297

50,073

45,073

30,971

14,103

5,000

3

3,700

3

1,300

3

10,224

7,989

2,235

Fall 1975

61,004

49,819

44,819

30,515

14,304

5,000

3

3,700

3

1,300

3

11,185

8,835

2,350

Fall 1976

60,490

49,478

44,311

29,997

14,314

5,167

3,825

1,342

11,012

8,653

2,359

Fall 1977

60,003

48,717

43,577

29,375

14,203

5,140

3,797

1,343

11,286

8,847

2,439

Fall 1978

58,897

47,637

42,551

28,463

14,088

5,086

3,732

1,353

11,260

8,786

2,474

Fall 1979

58,221

46,651

41,651

28,034

13,616

5,000

3

3,700

3

1,300

3

11,570

9,037

2,533

Fall 1980

58,305

46,208

40,877

27,647

13,231

5,331

3,992

1,339

12,097

9,457

2,640

Fall 1981

57,916

45,544

40,044

27,280

12,764

5,500

3

4,100

3

1,400

3

12,372

9,647

2,725

Fall 1982

57,591

45,166

39,566

27,161

12,405

5,600

3

4,200

3

1,400

3

12,426

9,696

2,730

Fall 1983

57,432

44,967

39,252

26,981

12,271

5,715

4,315

1,400

12,465

9,683

2,782

Fall 1984

57,150

44,908

39,208

26,905

12,304

5,700

3

4,300

3

1,400

3

12,242

9,477

2,765

Fall 1985

57,226

44,979

39,422

27,034

12,388

5,557

4,195

1,362

12,247

9,479

2,768

Fall 1986

57,709

45,205

39,753

27,420

12,333

5,452

3

4,116

3

1,336

3

12,504

9,714

2,790

Fall 1987

58,253

45,488

40,008

27,933

12,076

5,479

4,232

1,247

12,767

9,973

2,793

Fall 1988

58,485

45,430

40,189

28,501

11,687

5,242

3

4,036

3

1,206

3

13,055

10,161

2,894

Fall 1989

59,680

46,141

40,543

29,152

11,390

5,599

3

4,470

3

1,128

3

13,539

10,578

2,961

Fall 1990

60,683

46,864

41,217

29,878

11,338

5,648

4,514

1,134

13,819

10,845

2,974

Fall 1991

62,087

47,728

42,047

30,506

11,541

5,681

4,552

1,129

14,359

11,310

3,049

Fall 1992

62,987

48,500

42,823

31,088

11,735

5,677

3

4,560

3

1,117

3

14,487

11,385

3,103

Fall 1993

63,438

49,133

43,465

31,504

11,961

5,668

4,564

1,104

14,305

11,189

3,116

Fall 1994

64,177

49,898

44,111

31,898

12,213

5,787

3

4,656

3

1,131

3

14,279

11,134

3,145

Fall 1995

65,020

50,759

44,840

32,341

12,500

5,918

4,756

1,163

14,262

11,092

3,169

Fall 1996

65,911

51,544

45,611

32,764

12,847

5,933

3

4,755

3

1,178

3

14,368

11,120

3,247

Fall 1997

66,574

52,071

46,127

33,073

13,054

5,944

4,759

1,185

14,502

11,196

3,306

Fall 1998

67,033

52,526

46,539

33,346

13,193

5,988

3

4,776

3

1,212

3

14,507

11,138

3,369

Fall 1999

67,667

52,875

46,857

33,488

13,369

6,018

4,789

1,229

14,791

11,309

3,482

Fall 2000

68,685

53,373

47,204

33,688

13,515

6,169

3

4,906

3

1,264

3

15,312

11,753

3,560

Fall 2001

69,920

53,992

47,672

33,938

13,734

6,320

5,023

1,296

15,928

12,233

3,695

Fall 2002

71,015

54,403

48,183

34,116

14,067

6,220

3

4,915

3

1,306

3

16,612

12,752

3,860

Fall 2003

71,551

54,639

48,540

34,202

14,338

6,099

4,788

1,311

16,911

12,859

4,053

Fall 2004

72,200

54,928

48,795

34,178

14,617

6,133

4

4,773

4

1,360

4

17,272

12,980

4,292

Fall 2005

72,712

55,224

49,113

34,205

14,909

6,111

4

4,736

4

1,376

4

17,487

13,022

4,466

Fall 20064

73,197

55,524

49,370

34,387

14,983

6,155

4,779

1,375

17,672

13,252

4,420

Fall 20074

73,720

55,762

49,610

34,592

15,018

6,152

4,784

1,368

17,958

13,457

4,501

Fall 20084

74,230

55,966

49,812

34,873

14,939

6,154

4,805

1,348

18,264

13,677

4,587

Fall 20094

74,753

56,186

50,028

35,195

14,834

6,158

4,834

1,324

18,567

13,895

4,672

Fall 20104

75,319

56,480

50,303

35,581

14,722

6,177

4,873

1,304

18,839

14,085

4,754

Fall 20114

75,962

56,857

50,653

35,994

14,659

6,204

4,921

1,284

19,105

14,269

4,836

Fall 20124

76,712

57,338

51,093

36,397

14,696

6,245

4,975

1,270

19,374

14,453

4,921

Fall 20134

77,534

57,872

51,579

36,841

14,739

6,293

5,032

1,261

19,662

14,651

5,010

Fall 20144

78,430

58,486

52,135

37,271

14,864

6,350

5,088

1,262

19,944

14,846

5,098

Fall 20154

79,339

59,147

52,733

37,578

15,155

6,414

5,133

1,281

20,192

15,015

5,177

Fall 20164

80,222

59,780

53,300

37,917

15,382

6,481

5,179

1,301

20,442

15,186

5,256

— Not available. 1 Beginning in fall 1980, data include estimates for an expanded universe of private schools. Therefore, direct comparisons with earlier years should be avoided. 2 Data for 1869-70 through 1949-50 include resident degree-credit students enrolled at any time during the academic year. Beginning in 1959, data include all resident and extension students enrolled at the beginning of the fall term. 3 Estimated. 4 Projected.
NOTE: Elementary and secondary enrollment includes students in local public school systems and in most private schools (religiously affiliated and nonsectarian), but generally excludes homeschooled children and students in subcollegiate departments of colleges and in federal schools. Based on the National Household Education Survey, the homeschooled children numbered approximately 1.1 million in 2003. Excludes preprimary pupils in private schools that do not offer kindergarten or above. Postsecondary data through 1995 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Degree-granting institutions grant associate's or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs. The degree-granting classification is very similar to the earlier higher education classification, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. (See Guide to Sources for details.) Some data have been revised from previously published figures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Annual Report of the Commissioner of Education, 1870 to 1910; Biennial Survey of Education in the United States, 1919–20 through 1949–50; Statistics of Public Elementary and Secondary School Systems, 1959 through 1980; Common Core of Data (CCD), "State Nonfiscal Survey of Public Elementary and Secondary Education," 1981–82 through 2005–06; Youth Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (Youth-NHES:1999); Private School Universe Survey (PSS), 1989–90 through 2003–04; Projections of Education Statistics to 2016; Opening (Fall) Enrollment in Higher Education, 1959; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Fall Enrollment in Institutions of Higher Education" surveys, 1969 through 1985; and 1986 through 2005 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Enrollment Survey" (IPEDS-EF:86-99), and Spring 2001 through Spring 2006. (This table was prepared August 2007.)